


All I Ever Wanted is You

by UnicornAffair



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Charge
Genre: F/F, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-03-22 01:04:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13752996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnicornAffair/pseuds/UnicornAffair
Summary: With 9 out of 10 Energems found, the rangers needed a solid plan in finding the Silver energem before it fell into the wrong hands. Needing to be a step ahead of the game, Kendall and Shelby partner off on a river tour in hopes of finding an energy reading. This was all about the mission, not about her deep rooted feelings for the pink ranger. Little did she know, Shelby felt the same way.





	All I Ever Wanted is You

**Author's Note:**

> Title inspired by Megan Davies "All I Ever Want is You"
> 
> This is my first time writing for Dino Charge and some of my memory of the actual show is a little fuzzy but I LOVE the dino charge characters so much that I wanted to participate in Ranger Lovefest and Femslash February. Pink/Purple shipping is so appropriate for this month ;)
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

The race to find the tenth and final energem was on. The rangers felt the heat of the pressure as now the stakes were at an all time high. All it took was _one_ of these powerful gems to fall into the wrong hands; for its power to be _weaponized._ The purple and red energems falling into Sledge’s hands had been too close of a call. Right now their plan was to try and locate the _Titanozord_ first in hopes that it would bring them one step closer to possibly finding the silver energem. Anything to make sure that kind of power stayed on the side of good.

With keeper entrusting the energems to dinosaurs, the rangers had one advantage the aliens did not...the knowledge of the past. The best chance the rangers had in locating the elusive _beast_ of a zord was to go back to basics and search the habitats of the great Brachiosaurus. With fossils being found in areas such as the Colorado River, and Morrison Formation in Wyoming; the western United States was a good place to start the search.

Unfortunately a field trip would mean leaving the Amber Beach base. The rangers couldn’t afford their enemies to catch on and follow them. Only a few members on the team had actually the background in dinosaur knowledge. It was agreed upon the group that Tyler and his father James would partner up and take the Morrison Formation in Wyoming while Kendall and Shelby would take on the Colorado River. Riley would have his hands full with having to watch over Chase, Ivan and Koda so Kendall called in Philip to balance out the team and give the boys a chance to bond.

Team bonding. Partner bonding. There was a reason Kendall chose to split the team up the way she did. Tyler and his father had _years_ of catching up to do that a mission like this would give them a common goal as a backdrop to re-get to know one another. As far as choosing Shelby to assist her...that was more of a selfish choice. Kendall loved the team, the boys, but she could use a break from being the team mom. Philip would certainly have his hands full with the group back at home. A few weeks of just the girls would be a welcome change.

Kendall wasn’t the best at _showing_ it, but she was impressed with how far Shelby had come in such a short amount of time. It felt like ages ago when Kendall dismissed the waitress all together. As the pink ranger, Shelby rose to the occasion and stood on her own two feet in the boys club. Time and time again _she_ was the one with an innovative idea that helped the team in ways Kendall couldn’t. The purple ranger had come to admire Shelby’s warmth, her giant heart, the energy she brought to the team, how dedicated she was to her dreams of paleontology, the way her face would light up when she came up with a theory...the way she smiled when Kendall chose _her_ to be her partner.

 

*****

 

Zord travel would be the most _ideal_ form of transportation, however, to avoid being followed it was best to _be_ Kendall Morgan and Shelby Watkins; ordinary people to fly under the radar. Airports, particularly trying to get Kendall’s zord energy sensing devices through security was a challenge all on its own. It was far too delicate to be put under the plane. After what happened to their _first_ energem detecting device...Kendall wanted to make sure she personally handled her newest invention. If there was anything Ms Morgan could do, it was assertively talk her way through things, including security.

Even though the flight from Amber Beach to Denver was a relatively short one, Kendall sprung for the first class tickets. If she was going to have to suffer through a flight, she’d be doing it in style. Shelby on the other hand had been in complete awe, sure the Watkins ice cream business meant her family was pretty well off but that didn’t mean _she_ was the one flying around the country. When she first came to Amber Beach she had taken the bus, that was nothing compared to this fine luxury.

Kendall let Shelby take the window seat, as the pink ranger wanted to see everything while they were flying up above. That didn’t interest the purple ranger, no, at the first chance she got she ordered a red wine and sat back to try and tolerate the slight turbulence. The power rangers were spoiled by how well the zords cut through the air.

“Can I try?” Shelby eyed the glass in her travel companion’s hand. While an adult, she was still under the legal age to drink. She risked her life fighting off space aliens from destroying the world but alcohol was out of the question for the lively eighteen year old.

“You’re not going to like it” Kendall replied, though offered her the glass anyway. She didn’t have to be a stickler _all_ the time. One sip wouldn’t hurt anyone.

The pink ranger politely turned the glass, so she could access a spot untouched by Kendall’s lips. One sip was all she needed to determine that she did in fact _not_ like the bitter undertone of the red. Kendall cracked a smile, taking the glass away, as Shelby’s nose crinkled in distaste. The younger girl shaking her head as if free air would help relieve her pain.

“Told you” Kendall could hold back the laugh, but she couldn’t help the smug smile, she loved being right.

Shelby didn’t want to appear _young_ , like this was her very first time drinking alcohol-it wasn’t, “Just because I don’t like wine doesn’t mean I can’t handle alcohol”

That wasn’t what Kendall was implying at all, but ever the inquisitor she had to prod, “Wine’s an acquired taste. Up in the air, with the pressurized cabin certain wines will taste differently than on the ground” She would never pass up a chance for a fun science fact, “And when do _you_ ” Miss underaged Shelby, “ _handle_ alcohol?” The pink ranger was _lucky_ Kendall’s hand was occupied with a glass so she couldn’t physically do the quotations with her fingers.

“Don’t get mad” Shelby could feel the judgement in Ms. Morgan’s eyes, maybe that wasn’t the _best_ way to break the news. “Chase has a fake ID and we _sometimes_ have a couple of drinks after work, you know on slow days.” She quickly put up a hand in defense “Nothing crazy I promise” Shelby hoped to diffuse the situation by laughing, “I swear, I can’t even enjoy myself because I have to make sure they don’t break anything”

“Hm I can’t imagine how that feels” Kendall lowly murmured, her tone dripping with sarcasm. If _anyone_ knew the challenge of keeping the team in line, Shelby’s struggle didn’t come _close_ to Kendall’s. “You know I’m going to have to confiscate that ID. I’m _responsible_ for what happens to you guys”

Oh Chase was _not_ going to be happy about that, Shelby bit her bottom lift, “If you do, leave me out of it” She did not want to become the nark.

“I promise” Honestly, Kendall was surprised how quickly Shelby threw Chase under the bus.

A moment passed, Shelby glanced out the window and smiled, “You know what the best part about the energems is?” She asked, as if the answer _wasn’t_ being a power ranger.

“Mm?” Kendall turned her head in her companions direction, “What’s that?”

“That no matter how much older we get, we don’t...like _actually_ age” That was how Koda and Ivan appeared to be so young after hundreds of years, how James could pass as Tyler’s _brother_ and not his _father_. “I could be like thirty and still only look eighteen” She laughed, “I’ll always be carded and get a “wow! You don’t look a day over twenty”.” Shelby was generous enough to give herself the age of twenty in the eyes of a bartender. “It’ll be super flattering I’m sure”

Kendall laughed along, as she would benefit from that as well, “I suppose that’s true” Really it was another reminder that Shelby would look _eighteen_ for as long as they were bound to their energems. The purple ranger was quick to take a _long_ sip of her drink to try and drown out the thoughts creeping up in the back of her head. How could she curate a museum and _never_ age? As nice as being twenty six was...how long could she pull that off.

Twenty six. Eighteen. Eight years between them. Ms Morgan was one to hide her feelings well. In her youth she excelled in academics that she had skipped a couple of grades middle school. Who wanted to be friends with the kid? She didn’t have friends in High School, she never had friends she had babysitters. Kids that were asked by the principal to make sure she was okay, it was humiliating. In college she thought it would be better, it would be easier to be around the more intellectual type. No, that was when she realized she was gay and further isolated herself into her work. She became the youngest museum director all on sheer will and ability to push her feelings down. With the power rangers, she had a new project to pour her feelings into...she never expected to get a family out of it. Even so, Kendall wondered if they even _liked_ her or if they were always afraid of her.

And then there was her developing feelings, inappropriate feelings, towards Shelby; the only other girl on the team. It was something she fought, she didn’t _want_ this to happen. There was a significant age difference between them, almost ten years, _that_ made Kendall take another sip of wine. She pushed up walls early on, she didn’t want Shelby _near_ the excavation to begin with. Sure enough, her damn stubborn drive to prove herself to Kendall drove Shelby to tag along anyways. She bonded with the pink energem and became a power ranger...she wedged herself into Kendall’s life.

It was a selfish mistake to ask the object of her affections onto this journey. She could have asked Riley, the green ranger. Time and time again he proved his intelligence. But no, she wanted to give Shelby this opportunity, _she_ was the one with the passion for this field and would benefit the most from the experience. It wasn’t like she would _do_ anything or god, _admit_ her feelings to the younger ranger-that wouldn’t be ideal. All she wanted was to spend time with Shelby.

 

*****

Kendall mapped out their path along the Colorado river. The body of water cut through at least seven states, making this trip a long one. Ms Morgan was sure to book hotel rooms along the way so they would have a safe place to crash for the night. There was no room for sightseeing, they _needed_ to locate this zord, the world was potentially at stake.

Even if there weren’t any life threatening alien bounty hunters involved, a one on one trip with Kendall Morgan was a dream come true for Shelby. This was _finally_ her chance to really, _really_ show her mentor her extensive passion for paleontology. Hell, originally, the reason Shelby chose Amber Beach was to be around such an intelligent _woman_ in the field. She aspired to be like Kendall, a woman who was only _twenty six_ and accomplished so much. Shelby just never expected feelings of aspiration would turn into much more.

Shelby couldn’t pinpoint the exact “ _oh no”_ moment her crush developed. If she were to guess, it was around the time she and Kendall located the ankylo zord. Then Halloween hit...that’s when she knew she was in trouble. Ms Morgan is _hot_. When she learned that Kendall had gone after Keeper on Sledge’s ship her heart dropped. She almost lost her that day...without even telling her how she felt.

Of course, Kendall was fine, brilliant even; she bonded with the energem and became the purple ranger for her bravery. Shelby was the one right by her side for her first megazord battle. It was exhilarating to stand side by side, as power rangers, fighting with the same goal.

Time went on, life went back to normal; as normal and routine as life of a power ranger could be. She had her opportunity to tell Kendall, but she didn’t. The moment simply passed. Now it felt silly. There’s no way someone as accomplished and as wonderful as Ms Morgan would ever look at her that way. She was just one of the _kids_ Ms Morgan had to babysit. Still, all she wanted was to spend time with Kendall.

“You look like Indiana Jones” Shelby commented on the purple rangers apparel. Kendall decidedly sported a brown high crowned, wide brimmed sable fedora. Her hair pulled into a low ponytail. Tan blazer with a white button up undershirt underneath. It was odd, this felt like the first time Shelby noticed Kendall _not_ wearing her signature color.

“...The hat’s too much, isn’t it?” Kendall debated taking it off, but if they were going to be out on the water, it provided extra protection from the sun.

“No, no” Shelby waved her hand, trying to get Kendall to stop doubting herself. “It’s a compliment. It suits you” Kendall as Indiana Jones, yes please.

“Oh” Kendall squared her shoulders, too stiff to _actually_ relax. “Thank you” she was the first to get onto the motorized raft, offering her hands to assist Shelby’s boarding.

The start of their voyage went relatively easy, Kendall explained to her co-captain how to control the motor and more importantly how her newest zord detection device. In theory with their target being _so_ large it’s signal _should_ pick up the closer the two got to the target.

Conversation between the two was strictly professional. Shelby hung on every word of Kendall’s tales of academic success. The purple ranger kept conversation honest, that getting to her position was tough and she worked her ass off to get there. She decidedly left out minor details of lonely nights, and her sad attempts to try online dating. Kendall wasn’t blind, she understood _why_ Shelby would ask her life advice questions. She wanted to follow Kendall’s path, that much was obvious. So, maybe she sugar coated her experiences a little for the aspiring paleontologist.

There was so much hope in Shelby’s eyes. “Can I shadow you?” Be an intern at Amber Beach, to work directly under Ms Morgan to pump up her resume, “You and I both know that I’m a _terrible_ waitress” Abysmal, if Kendall were to be completely honest.

So Kendall agreed to take Shelby under her wing.

The pink ranger deserved the opportunity. Kendall couldn’t keep holding the younger girl back because of developing feelings. She had far too much potential to only work at the Dino cafe. That wouldn’t be right. Kendall could be the bigger person and push those emotions down. Ms. Morgan was well versed in the art of compartmentalizing after all.

 

*****

 

Three days down the Colorado River and the pink and purple heroes had yet to pick up a signal. It was disheartening to say the least, but going into it the team knew that these searches could wind up with nothing. The Titanozord could be _anywhere_. Still, Kendall couldn’t complain about her company. Shelby could keep conversation going, from telling stories about high school to asking Kendall questions, the two never grew tired of the others company.

Currently the pair were in a hotel room, nothing fancy like first class, something middle of the line. All the girls _needed_ was a functioning shower and a bed to sleep in. Just like the nights before, the two women flowed into a comfortable rhythm. Kendall had been busy checking up with James to see if he and Tyler had made any progress. Shelby on the other hand took full advantage of taking a hot shower to wash the day of being out on the river out. By the time the pink ranger came out of the bathroom, Kendall had finished her call with Philip back at the base...he seemed overwhelmed but overall the rest of the rangers seemed to be okay. The base was still in tact and the energems hadn’t been stolen so...that could be considered a win.

With check up calls completed and her mind at ease, Kendall could take her turn in the hot shower. The constant one on one time with Shelby had been starting to get to her. Ever since she agreed to let the pink ranger be her intern she made it a point for her new protege to only call her by Ms Morgan. She wasn’t her friend, she certainly wasn’t her girlfriend, she was her boss; her mentor. Any other thought would be inappropriate.

There had been a close call earlier this day when the purple ranger needed assistance with some sunscreen on the back of her shoulders. It was far too warm for a trusty blazer, she made the mistake of wearing a tank top. Now her mind had been racing with the memory of Shelby’s soft hands rubbing lotion into her skin. The other woman was so close, Shelby smelled like strawberry because of _course_ she went for anything that came in a pink bottle. For someone with such a brilliant mind, Kendall couldn’t make a dino charger to zap away the feelings swirling inside her mind. Too close of a call. She couldn’t give in, she couldn’t take advantage of her position. Fortifying her walls was the only option. That and a cold shower.

When Kendall returned to the bedroom, the television was off, Shelby had her tablet and was sitting up in bed. She had just finished checking all of her social media accounts and emails and, to Kendall’s surprise, Shelby had dug herself into reading essays and doing additional research on her downtime. Her passion and dedication to dinosaurs wasn’t a hobby, she wanted to fully immerse herself into this world.

Kendall grabbed her own tablet to check up on emails, as a curator there would always be _something_ going on. After the Knights of Zandar exhibit she needed something new to draw the interest of the public. Ms Morgan spent _so_ much time dedicating herself to her duties of being a power ranger that the Amber Beach museum took a back seat.

“So, Ms Morgan” Shelby glanced over to her companion, respecting Kendall’s wishes to keep it formal between them. “I’ve noticed that you and Ivan are getting close” She was prodding, or trying to bond by talking about the men in their lives. “Is something going on there?”

“That’s highly inappropriate” Kendall snapped back an answer, she didn’t mean to sound so harsh, she was far too used to this line of questioning from her mother. Her family was always quick to assume that Kendall would be _alone_ without knowing the touch of a man, adopting cats to keep her company. “No...there’s nothing going on between Ivan and I”

Kendall didn’t know _why_ she let this slip, she was supposed to be pushing Shelby further away from her, not giving her details about her personal life, “I’m gay” she stated simply, as if rattling off a fun fact. “I’m not interested in men”

“ _Oh_ ” Kendall excelled at facts, research and any puzzle put in front of her. She _wasn’t_ great at reading other people. It was hard to gauge Shelby’s expression. “I didn’t know, I’m sorry for assuming” Kendall caught a hint of a _smile_ on Shelby’s face. That peaked her curiosity.

The purple ranger returned her attention to her tablet, it needed to be plugged in soon, “It’s alright, how would you know? I like to keep my private life private” She read an email from an old colleague, they had just excavated fossilized triceratops bones. Shelby’s favorite. Kendall held the bridge of her nose, she couldn’t escape thoughts of the pink ranger through work.

“How are things with Tyler?” Kendall asked, needing to hear Shelby gush about a boy to help bring her back to reality. To remind her that there was no place in Shelby’s life for Kendall outside of work related business. “You two seem awfully close”

Shelby tilted her head, her smile wide, “You really want to talk about boys?” To have a bonding session like two girls at a sleepover. She paused, “Ah sorry, and girls” Kendall regretted this, Shelby was _far_ too into this conversation. It meant that they were more than just teammates, mentor and apprentice...this could be the start of a _friendship_.

“You don’t have to answer that, I apologize, that was out of line” Kendall looked back at her tablet, trying to rectify her mistake as quickly as possible.

Seeing that this was now _girltime,_ Shelby got out from under the covers and sat at the foot of Kendall’s bed. Good, she was now physically closer. That would definitely make this easier. “Come on, we can make it a girls night” She held out her hand, “Your emails will be there for you later”

Kendall relinquished her only form of a distraction, she was defenseless now, her entire focus _had_ to be on Shelby. The pink ranger had plugged in the tablet to the wall outlet and set it on the ground near Kendall’s bed. “Tyler’s just a friend” Well Kendall knew _that_ as the two weren’t officially dating. The pink ranger dropped a heavy bomb, “I don’t have feelings for him, I have feelings for someone else”

“ _Oh_ ” Kendall wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that, nor could she apparently control the wide eyed expression on her face. She didn’t expect _that_ to come out of Shelby’s mouth, “I ah” She fumbled over her own words, “I shouldn’t have assumed” But if she _didn’t_ have feelings for Tyler...who else could it possibly be?

“It’s okay, it’s okay” The pink ranger waved her older teammate’s assumptions off like it wasn’t a big deal. It was _easy_ to assume that she had feelings for Tyler, the two were close...they became power rangers _together_ at the same time. The two of them always looked out for one another, “He’s like my brother” Shelby paused at that, “We _did_ try, but it didn’t go well, we didn’t click in _that_ way”

“And you have feelings for someone else” Kendall brilliantly repeated, slowly nodding, she was still trying to put the pieces of the puzzle in her head before Shelby blurted out the answer. The purple ranger simply loved being right. “May I ask who?”

Shelby bit the corner of her lip, holding back a laugh, Kendall must not of experienced many sleepovers in the past if she was asking who she liked _so formally_. “It’s definitely someone you know” She teased, “Maybe you can help me, they’re a bit more mature”

“So, it’s _not_ Chase” Kendall couldn’t miss the opportunity to make a jab at the black ranger. She loved each and every member of the team in their own way, but Chase definitely was not the epitome of mature. It left a couple of other options. Philip, the Prince of an entire country, would be a candidate, though the graphite ranger wasn’t around much. Then there was Riley, he was at least closer to Shelby’s age and definitely the most mature out of the young batch of rangers. Now, Kendall’s gaydar wasn’t the _best_ in any sense, she still had difficult times reading people but Riley....Shelby may be out of luck if Riley Griffin was the one who held her affections.

It only left Kendall with one possible conclusion. Ivan. Of course. The handsome chivalrous knight of Zandar, the gold ranger. Dashing, _definitely mature_ , a natural hero before bonding to an energem. With a charming smile, suit of armor and the ability to literally sweep women off of their feet and ride off on horseback...he made for a fine sutor to Shelby’s heart. No wonder she asked Kendall if something had been going on between the two, because _Shelby_ had feelings for him. It all made perfect sense to the purple ranger. What a brilliant deduction.

_Shelby had feelings for Ivan._

“I don’t know if it’s even _worth_ making a move, I doubt _I_ have a real shot” Shelby shrugged her shoulders, her bubbly confidence depleting from her body. “And gosh then there’s the age difference”

Kendall shook her head, she was _no_ expert when it came to love advice. Ivan being only a couple of hundred years older than Shelby was such a technicality. Most of that time he was trapped. “Shelby, I’m going to stop you right there. You are smart, brilliant even...so beyond your years. Sometimes _I_ even forget that you’re only _eighteen_ . You’re tenacious” Shelby would always go after what she wanted no matter what the odds, “Stunningly beautiful….ahem” Kendall swallowed a lump in her throat, Shelby needed _advice,_ not for Kendall to self project. “Anyone would be an idiot to say no to you”

Shelby’s eyebrow rose in challenge, “ _You_ said no to me” Multiple times. Kendall was _well_ aware how many times she ignored Shelby’s ideas in the past. Back then she always thought that Shelby would get in the way, boy, was she wrong.

“And when I make mistakes I correct them” Kendall cracked a rare smile, “Why do you think I chose you for this expedition? For an internship? Because I needed someone I could _trust_ to keep up with me” This wasn’t about _Kendall_ this was about her friend _Ivan_. “I honestly think you should go for it”

Shelby’s confident grin returned to her face, any trace of insecurity vanishing in a span of a couple of seconds, “I think I might” She coyly looked down to her hands, “What about you Ms Morgan? Do you have a secret girlfriend none of us know about?” If Shelby spilled about her feelings for a mystery someone she only thought it would be fair to ask Kendall. This was girl time after all. A trap.

“You’d be shocked to learn that my life outside of work is quite dull” She spent so much time at the museum, in their secret base, that she sometimes slept there. Between inventing new weapons and dino chargers for the team and running an entire museum facility; she didn’t exactly have the time to be dating anyone, and that was _before_ becoming the purple ranger. “And that’s all I’m going to say about the subject”

Kendall wasn’t going to let herself get trapped in a conversation about feelings. She reached down to her tablet, sending Shelby a warning glare-her lack of love life was not something that needed to be discussed further. She was done, she couldn’t let herself be vulnerable, not around _her_. “I should really check these emails.”

She shouldn’t have snapped so quickly, a flash of hurt sparked across Shelby’s face, as if Kendall just kicked a puppy in front of her. Kendall might as well have, Shelby thought they were _finally_ connecting and Kendall stomped all over it. “I’m sorry if I said something wrong” She returned to her own bed to give Ms Morgan the physical space she needed, “For the record, you deserve to be happy too”

What Shelby didn’t realize was that Kendall had grown used to being alone.

 

*****

The next couple of days, the pair of women were quieter, there wasn’t much conversation on their raft. Not like before. Kendall hadn’t apologized for snapping at Shelby the other night, and Shelby didn’t want to push her further. All she wanted was to be her friend. No, that was a lie. What Shelby _really_ wanted was to be _with_ Kendall. After that fateful night in their hotel room, she wasn’t sure if that was even possible. All she wanted to know is if the purple ranger had been seeing someone, it would be stupid to make the move on her if she had someone else. Shelby still had hope, as if she could be scared away so easily. Ms Morgan _wasn’t_ dating _anyone_ and she had an interest in women. Score and score.

“It’s so beautiful out here” Shelby murmured, the raft was now starting to serpentine into the one and only Grand Canyon. Because of the low altitude, Kendall made sure the two brought enough to keep them warm and keep them _hydrated_ . Shelby did _not_ enjoy the fun fact on how dehydration was one of the biggest causes of deaths in these parts. The pink ranger stood in the raft, clutching onto the energem detector, as she looked up the expanse of the rich colorful rock. Shelby could see past the stunning beauty of the scenery around them and took note to appreciate how each layer of stone conveyed how _old_ these walls surrounding them were. They were careening through history and the feeling had been unlike anything else she had felt before.

“Mm, yes, it’s quite a view” Kendall hummed an agreement, she looked up from her tablet to take in the sight. “Is this your first time here?” She asked with a tilt of her head. Kendall could recall the first time _she_ had come to the Grand Canyon. The purple ranger couldn’t have been much older than fourteen with an obsession with different types of rock. Call it a geology phase. A young Kendall Morgan almost passed out from the excitement, sedimentary, igneous, metamorphic...gosh she could recall the bright red slopes of the siltstones, mudstones and finely grained sandstones. Yeah, there was a reason she didn’t have many friends growing up.

Shelby nodded, pulling out her cellphone to try taking pictures...no photo could do this sight justice. “As if my parents would take me to _this_ . I’m the heir to the Watkins Ice Cream empire remember?” She laughed, shaking her head, Shelby wanted to be out on the field making _discoveries_ not sit behind a desk and run a cooperation. “They’d be afraid I’d fall in love with this” Even if the two were barely speaking, Shelby was happy to be able to share this moment with Kendall, “Ha, they were right to be afraid” There was a glimmer in Shelby’s eyes, one Kendall hadn’t recognized in herself in quite some time.

Shelby’s smile was certainly contagious, Kendall offered her hand to her new protege, “Let me take it” She wanted the camera, if this was Shelby’s first time at the Canyon she should have a proper photo _with_ the natural wonder.

The pink ranger was about to relinquish the camera to the older woman when she paused. Kendall wasn’t making a move to stand. Absolutely not. Down, up was the _worst_ angle for a photo. “No, c’mon let's take a picture together. We can send it to the boys” Shelby didn’t care _how_ nice the Morrison Formation was, it had _nothing_ on the _Grand Canyon_.

“I don’t really do “selfies”.” Shelby rolled her eyes at Kendall’s use of air quotes around the word selfie. That girl really needed to loosen up.

“What a perfect place to start” If the purple ranger wasn’t going to stand, the pink ranger would gladly sit as close to her as possible for a photo opportunity. “And please, don’t give me excuses. After last Halloween you _know_ you’re hot” She didn’t even let Kendall make a rebuttal, Shelby draped an arm around her mentors shoulders and smiled at her phone...waiting until Kendall got the damn hint to look cute.

Taking a selfie with Kendall at the Grand Canyon would definitely beat out anything the boys could possibly send her. Even if Chase sent a video of Koda eating fifty oreos in a grossly short amount of time. Now she’d have a picture of the two that could last a lifetime, she subtly made it her background so everytime she unlocked her phone she could be greeted with a smiling Ms. Morgan; a memory of _them_.

 

*****

 

There were only a few days left on their journey and yet no sign of the zord, no sign of the energem. From the last Kendall heard, James and Tyler weren’t having much luck either. These trips were only proving where the energem and zord _weren’t._ Places to put big red x’s on a map. No one said finding a power source quite like this would be _easy_ but after spending so many days away from home...it was tough to come home empty handed.

Kendall had pre-booked a room in a smaller inn. With them being so isolated from the city life, hotel chains simply weren’t around. She needed somewhere quaint, and most importantly somewhere _clean_. Kendall could rough it up in a tent for a night but something about a sketchy motel rubbed her the wrong way.

Shelby had to open their room with a physical key, only to find that their room was a bit on the _cozier_ side. Both girls were quick to notice one _major_ difference between this and literally every other room Kendall had reserved, there was only one bed.

“There has to be some sort of mistake” Kendall didn’t want to set down their bags and make this room their home for the night. “Wait here. I’ll talk to the front desk about this” on a mission the shorter girl headed down the hallway to get some assistance. Completely bypassing the ‘ _No Vacancy’_ sign. The inn was completely booked, there were no other rooms available to _switch_ to.

Shelby and Kendall were going to have to share a bed for the night. Normally this wouldn’t be such a big deal. Just two girls _sleeping_ under the same covers on the same mattresses. Friends would do this all the time with one another. Friends don’t have dreams about holding their other friends in their arms while they drift off to sleep. Friends _certainly_ don’t have fantasies about kissing their friends in their office...on their desk. Kendall Morgan wasn’t just a _friend_ to Shelby Watkins. No, this would be the most difficult night of Shelby’s night because she would be _so_ close to the woman she desired but couldn’t _actually_ touch her.

“Uh, which side do you want?” The pink ranger asked as Kendall walked through the doors with a huff. Ms Morgan did _not_ like to lose, she seemed just as bothered by the situation. Shelby could only assume that was because the purple ranger was annoyed by her presence. The air was still thick as the two still didn’t talk about Kendall snapping at her nights before.

“It doesn’t matter” Kendall walked toward the bed to pick off one of the pillows, “I’ll simply sleep on the floor” As if that would solve all of their issues.

Shelby frowned at _that_ super suggestion, “No way, that’s stupid. You are _not_ going to sleep on the floor” Kendall wouldn’t sleep well on the ground, and then she would be crabby all morning. Yeah, that would be fun to put up with, she was difficult enough as it was. “If anyone’s going to sleep on the floor it should be me”

Kendall paused for a moment, mulling something over, “No, I’m not going to let you sleep on the floor.” She sighed in defeat, “We’re both adults we can share the bed”

“Good” Shelby agreed, sitting herself down on the side of the bed untouched by Kendall.

“Good” Kendall repeated with a nod. Too many silent moments passed, the two unable to look away from one another. Kendall, unsurprisingly, was the first to break eye contact, “I’m going to change” she announced, grabbing her bag so she could get ready for a long uncomfortably awkward night.

Shelby made sure that the blinds were closed before using the room to change into something way more comfortable than jeans. Pink flannel pants, a tank top and _finally_ she could take off her bra for the night. She set a pile of her clothes on her bag, and sat down on the bed, waiting for a turn at the bathroom so she could brush her teeth for the night.

She would be sharing a bed with Kendall. It was hard to drown thoughts of the purple ranger. Mentally going over dinosaur facts in her mind wasn’t helping. She would constantly go back to the plesiosaur, the marine based dinosaur, Kendall’s dinosaur. Shelby couldn’t help the smile on her face, for someone who’s zord was so closely related to the plesiosaur, Kendall wasn’t much of a water person. Ms. Morgan was the type of person to go to the beach, sit on the sand under an umbrella, and read all day. For living in Amber _Beach_ the team didn’t travel to the Oceanside much, that would have to change when the rangers returned from their journeys. If anything for the vain excuse to wear her swimsuit, the pink ranger knew she looked good. She wouldn’t mind helping Kendall out with getting sunscreen on her back...having the chance to touch her again.

Ms. Morgan exiting the bathroom snapped her out of _those_ thoughts once more. It was Shelby’s turn to get ready for bed. While in the bathroom she wanted to make an emergency phone call to Tyler or Riley. Those two were the _only_ ones that knew she was also attracted to girls...and how she had it _bad_ for the purple ranger. She needed a pep talk, but couldn’t bother them...Shelby would have to ranger up and get through this night.

Kendall had taken the side of the bed closest to the lamp and accompanying end table, sitting up to read emails off her tablet. Shelby plugged her phone into the wall, she wasn’t going to need it anymore for the night. Moment of truth. She sunk into to the bed, their bed, and brought the covers over her body. Under other circumstances she wished she could spend _every_ night by Kendall’s side. She could get lost in watching Kendall read, it didn’t matter what, the other woman could get fully immersed in anything. Shelby loved the way Kendall’s eyebrows could scrunch up when reading something she clearly didn’t like.

“I set an alarm for six” Kendall glanced down to her companion for the night, she could feel Shelby’s eyes on her. The older woman sighed, putting her tablet away for the night.

Shelby spoke up again when Kendall took off her glasses, a rare sight, “Have you thought about getting contacts?” She asked curiously, “You have _really_ pretty eyes” The thick frames of Ms. Morgan’s signature glasses prevented anyone to really notice.

The purple ranger’s eyes narrowed unable to help the blush creeping up on her face at the compliment. The older woman tried to hide it by reaching over and turning off the light, “Go to sleep Shelby” She instructed, trying to get more comfortable by laying down, making sure there had been a good amount of space between them.

Darkness filled the room, both women were unable to sleep due to the proximity to the object of their affections...if only they knew what lies beneath the surface. A change in position was in order. In an effort to try and _actually_ fall asleep, both Shelby and Kendall turned onto their side _facing_ one another. Shelby’s tentative smile was met with an agitated frown. Kendall let out a sigh mirroring her irritation with the situation, “Why don’t you turn the other way?” She suggested, her eyebrows raised, she was _not_ playing around.

“Oh, uh, sure thing Ms. Morgan” Shelby swallowed the nervous lump in her throat. The tenacious pink ranger was _never_ the type to get nervous but being around Kendall...so intimately made her a little jumpy. She turned on her side as she was asked, facing the hotel wall instead of her travel companion.

Shelby could hear Ms. Morgan shifting her position as well, preferring to lay flat on her back, “Shelby?”

“Mhmm?”

“Please don’t refer to me as Ms. Morgan in bed” She stated as a matter of factly, it just sounded, to be frank, a bit on the inappropriate side given the situation.

There was a long pause, Shelby daring to turn her head in the purple ranger’s direction, “What should I call you then?” This entire trip, Kendall had been making it a point to refer to her as Ms. Morgan. She didn’t want to step on toes, Shelby already felt like she was in the dog house for something she quite didn’t understand.

Another sigh. “Don’t refer to me as anything” Shelby could _feel_ the disapproving shake of Kendall’s head, “Just go to sleep” As if _that_ was an easy task.

The night felt like it was crawling by and Shelby was still wide awake. Thoughts continued to rush her mind, she was _so_ close to Kendall yet she felt so disjoined, so far. This was stupid. She had been holding on to her feelings for so long, for what? _Why?_ She missed her opportunity before to spill her guts. With being power rangers, any battle could be their last, that was the risk of putting their lives out on the line. There had been so many close calls...too many close calls. Shelby didn’t _have_ the luxury of time, nor did she have the patience to wait around for the right moment. Was there such a thing as a right moment? No. Only missed possibilities. Shelby tapped her thumbs together as she thought, she could be risking _everything_ by telling Kendall the truth...was it all worth it?

Kendall Morgan was _totally_ worth it.

Well, here it goes, Shelby turned again to face Kendall, the purple ranger was still on her back, her eyes closed. “Hey, are you awake?” The pink ranger kept her voice low, gentle.

“ _Shelby_ ” Well, that answered Shelby’s question, “We have to get up early tomorrow” Practical, always practical with a plan. So, Kendall couldn’t sleep as well, surely it wasn’t due to excitement to get back on the river. Something else had been on her mind. Ha, probably backup plans to how to find the silver energem, like a chess game Kendall always wanted to be three moves ahead. “Please, go to sleep”

“I can’t sleep...not until I tell you something” And even then Shelby doubted she’d actually ever be able to sleep that night. Too much adrenaline. Kendall’s eyes opened, clearly Shelby wasn’t getting the memo to go back to sleep, so she humored the other girl. “Don’t freak out”

Now _that_ had Kendall sitting straight up, she knew that would be followed with something bad. “What is it?” Instinctively, the purple ranger reached forward to feel Shelby’s forehead, checking for a fever. Going through the canyons, the temperature dropped, the pink ranger’s body might not of adjusted, “Are you not feeling well?”

“....Uh….no...I’m _fine_ ” Shelby sat up as well, taking Kendall’s hand, “ _That’s_ where your head goes? That I’m _sick?_ ”

“I’ve spent plenty of nights taking care of Koda after he overeats. I swear that boy’s eyes are _always_ larger than his stomach” So if Shelby _wasn’t_ feeling sick, she must have _done_ something. “...What is it?”

Just breathe and speak, that was all Shelby had to do, but now that Ms Morgan had been awake...it suddenly became much harder to just spit it out. “At first I thought this was a dumb crush, that I was just _hot_ for my teacher” She squeezed Kendall’s hand, something to hold onto, to give her strength to lift this heavy weight on her chest. God she couldn’t believe she said _hot for teacher_ in her confession. “That I could get over it, but after all this time...I thought I _lost_ you forever the day you put yourself on Sledge’s ship...and that’s when I knew. That I’m falling in love with you”

Kendall reached for the hotel lamp, deciding against it….it was easy to be vulnerable in the dark. “...I don’t understand…” The clock flashed 2:00 am, there was no getting to sleep anytime soon. “...That’s” She shook her head, no, this couldn’t be right. “That’s impossible”

That...wasn’t quite what Shelby was expecting, “Why is that so hard to believe?”

“Because _I’m_ not the one people notice” Kendall’s focus shifted to their hands, she hadn’t pulled away from Shelby’s grasp, “Shelby, you are the sun. So young, bright, you’re still on a path to _greatness_ and I want to help get you there” She paused, “My time is passing, I’m where I need to be. You can go anywhere be _anything_ because you’re _so_ special.”

“My path? My _path_ brought me to Amber Beach, brought me to _you_ in the first place” Shelby wasn’t used to seeing this side of Kendall, the woman normally exuded such self confidence on the field. “That was _all_ me, and then I bonded with the pink energem. I became a Power Ranger, _we_ are Power Rangers and who knows how long that’ll be but...I want to be _with_ you” She was going to take a stab at this, “And I think you want this too”

After a long pause, Kendall let out a shaky breath, overwhelmed by the beating of her heart “We can’t” Still their hands were intertwined in the safety of the darkness in their quaint hotel room.  

“Why not?” Shelby pushed, she wasn’t going to let Kendall shut her out, not again. Not when she was _so close_.

Kendall shook her head, “It’s highly inappropriate. I’m _eight_ years older than you and you’ve just barely graduated high school. I’m your _boss_ , I’m supposed to be responsible for you not...it doesn’t matter how I feel-”

Shelby was going to cut the bullshit right there, “I’m an adult, you know, I can make my own choices. I _choose_ you” To her it was simple as that.

A scoff from the purple ranger, Kendall was quick to sound like her old self again, “You’re _barely_ an adult. You don’t know _what_ you want. You haven’t experienced enough to make a decision like this. I can’t be selfish. I _won’t_ be the one to hold you back”

“I’ve known what I’ve wanted since I was _five_ . I’ve been told _all my life_ that maybe I’ll want something else. That I’ll _come around_ to taking the family business. I’m so sick and tired of people telling me what “I want”. I came to Amber Beach looking for a chance for someone to _finally_ notice me for who I am...and there you were” Shelby chanced it, she rested a hand on the side of her mentor’s face, Kendall didn’t move out of the way...she didn’t even flinch. “I don’t care what the others have to say”

“People _will_ talk. That you’re just _using_ me to get ahead” Kendall knew very well how this relationship would be perceived by the others in her field, “That I’m the type of person to _take advantage_ of my interns, they may wonder if I’ve been with the others. That this connection between us is superficial”

“We’ll know the truth” A smile started to creep on Shelby’s face, “So, you _do_ like me” She concluded, Kendall hadn’t said anything to think otherwise.

Kendall closed her eyes, having to take in a deep breath; ducking her head down, she was ashamed to admit this out loud. “I do”

Shelby tilted her head, waiting for Ms Morgan to elaborate more. She could spend _hours_ listing off fun facts about the Grand Canyon, but here? Silence, she had nothing more to add. The pink ranger freed her other hand from the other woman’s grasp in favor of holding her face with both of her hands. She _needed_ Kendall to believe how much she wanted this, wanted _her_. She already ripped the bandage off, she confessed her feelings, she was brave enough to close the gap between them and press her lips against Kendall’s.

Kendall sat there frozen, still processing that this was happening, she brought a hand up to cradle Shelby’s elbow. Tentatively she returned the pink ranger’s kiss, slowly breaking out of her shell, having to repeat to herself that this was _okay_ that this was what they both wanted. Kendall gained confidence, what she struggled with _saying_ out loud she made up for it in contact. She pressed forward with the kiss, and soon Shelby was on her back, her hands moving from the purple ranger’s cheeks to her hips to steady her. The pink ranger pulled away from the intensity of the kiss, needing to take a breath, her grin wide, her risk paid off. She _wasn’t_ crazy, Kendall clearly had feelings for her too, “Does this mean I can call you Kendall now?” As if that was a rite of passage.

The purple ranger shook her head, letting out a small chuckle, “I suppose so” she couldn’t believe the these turn of events weren’t actually a dream. She leaned down to capture Shelby’s lips once more, “We really do need to get some rest”

“As if” No _way_ was Shelby going to let Kendall pull a curfew on her, not now, not when her body felt like pure electricity. If she thought being a _power ranger_ was freaking sweet, it didn’t compare to the feeling of the person she had feelings for actually _liked_ her back...and _then_ some judging by the intensity emitting from Kendall at every touch of their lips. Shelby gripped onto Kendall’s purple night shirt, not letting the other ranger out of her grasp without another kiss, a longer kiss.

The clock on the bedside table flashed 3:30 am by the time Kendall finally pulled herself off of Shelby in favor of laying on her back. She had to be the responsible one. The alarm would be going off in a couple of hours and as of right now the ranger women didn’t get _any_ sleep. Kendall reached up to stroke Shelby’s hair, “Go to sleep” Her tone was much gentler than it was earlier in the night.

Leave it to Kendall Morgan to try and be _responsible_ , ugh, Shelby would much rather be making out. She already missed Kendall’s touch, to be directly under her, but she could respect the other woman’s wishes. Shelby turned on her side and wrapped an arm around Kendall’s waist, hugging her like a giant stuffed animal to try and comfortably get to sleep.

“What are you doing?” Kendall asked, clearly confused by Shelby’s actions.

“I’m cuddling up to my girl” When Ms. Morgan frowned, Shelby had to raise her head, offended, “ _Seriously?_ Our tongues are formally acquainted now but _this_ is weird to you? _”_

Kendall closed her eyes, allowing Shelby to stay close, “I’m just used to sleeping alone is all”

“Well, that’s going to have to change”

 

 *****

 

There were only a few days left on their voyage, there was still no sign of the silver energem. Of course the two rangers continued their search but the energy between them was different, it shifted into something lighter. This was their opportunity to take advantage of their alone time with one another and they wasted enough time dancing around each other’s feelings. Shelby would hold Kendall’s hand whenever she could, Kendall slowly broke out of her shell to wrap her arm around Shelby’s waist. During the nights, the pair decided to abandon one of the hotel beds in favor of sharing the other. Kendall had too much fun deducting which sleeping arrangements felt the most comfortable. If she wasn’t on her back with Shelby cuddled up to her side, she enjoyed laying on her side taking the role of big spoon to Shelby’s little. It was a shame they had to come back to reality at some point.

“I’m sorry to announce that we came up dry” Kendall and Shelby were sure to enter the base a couple of paces apart, the team greeted them with hugs and exclamations. Prince Philip, in particular, was delighted to see that the team mom had returned so he wouldn’t have to be the one responsible for keeping the younger rangers in line.

“So did we” James sighed, his maps of the country sprawled out on the table. He now had plenty of red x’s to mark up the map. The silver energem and Titanozord were both still at large.

Shelby unable to stop smiling was a dead giveaway that something else was wrong, Tyler knew his best friend well enough, so of course he had to ask. “What’s going on? You’re far too happy about a failed mission”

“Oh I really shouldn’t say” Now she was smiling with teeth, the pink ranger was full on _elated_ despite the mission going cold.

Now Riley had caught on to this little exchange. He and Tyler both knew how much Shelby pined after Kendall. With this little excursion Shelby spent a _lot_ of one on one time with her crush, “Oh something _totally_ happened”

“Spill” The boys were _far_ too curious.

“Well” Shelby was _oh_ so one to brag about her current situation, “Kendall and I are dating now” Yep she definitely said that louder than she meant to as _that_ caught the attention of everyone else in the room.

“What now?” Chase’s interest in the lady ranger’s returning was now at a sky high. Koda simply looked from Shelby to Kendall, back to Shelby...back to Kendall….he knew what dating meant but this was _not_ something he had seen coming. Ivan’s brows rose sky high at the news.

Kendall could _feel_ the judgemental look coming off of the aqua ranger, of course the _father_ of the group had some thoughts on Kendall dating someone much younger than her. Someone of his son’s age. Philip, nodded taking that all in, he seemed to be impressed if anything. “ _Shelby”_ Kendall hissed, this was _not_ how they discussed breaking the news to the team.

“Oh! Sorry” They were at work after all, “ _Ms. Morgan_ and I are dating”

The purple ranger buried her face in her hands, sighing heavily, that was _not_ what she meant. Though it was hard to stay _mad_ at her girlfriend, not when she was so excited about being with the museum director. Girlfriend, the word still felt foreign to Kendall, that the girl she had feelings for actually liked her back. This wasn’t a dream. Here she stood with her ranger family, watching as Riley and Tyler wrapped their arms around Shelby in a brotherly hug, excited for _their_ good news. Shelby looked past the boys to Kendall and suddenly the older woman felt at ease again.

Kendall Morgan wasn’t alone anymore.


End file.
